“Jesus __________” Part 1: Who is Jesus? | Pastor Jacob Sheriff

Message Date: February 18, 2024
Bible

“Jesus __________” Part 1: Who is Jesus?

Victory Life Church, Central — Sunday, February 18, 2024

Key Text/Story and Idea

Mark 1:1 (ESV) The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

 

The essential point for this message is to set up the series by asking the key question: Who is Jesus? And even more specifically, Who do you say that Jesus is? What I desire for this series is to see how the Gospel of Mark is presenting Jesus to us with this question in mind. The first verse of the gospel is the key, and it’s the only time Mark will tell us what he thinks. He has the whole story of Jesus in mind, with his death and resurrection as the climax that validates his claim in verse 1, but he tells the story of Jesus in such a way to challenge our thoughts and assumptions about Jesus, His good news, and His Kingdom.

 

The first message will set this up by briefly going over the literary design of the gospel, pointing out how the three acts (or sections) of the gospel lay out Mark’s claim from the first verse and how Jesus was received by the world, and the key question to hold in mind is “Who is Jesus?” Of course this is something we will flesh out more through the series, but this message is to preview and foreshadow how Mark asks and answers the question. The last part of the message should narrow onto the story of the Parable of the Sower and the Seed in Mark 4. These are Jesus’ way of explaining the different responses He receives from people who He encounters and presents the gospel of the Kingdom to…and almost no one gets it until the very end when a pagan centurion sees it. This sets up repeating the question again at the end, “Who do you say Jesus is?”

 

Introduction

Mark 1:1 (ESV) The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

 

We are beginning a series that will take us all the way to Easter in which we will be looking at the Gospel of Mark and how he presents Jesus to us. This gospel (and this series) is focused on the question Mark wants us to grapple with, “Who is Jesus?” And even more specifically, “Who do you say Jesus is?” Here in the first verse of his gospel is the only time Mark will tell you what he thinks. He presents the story of Jesus as “the beginning of the gospel” or “good news about Jesus. He then establishes two titles Jesus bears, “the Messiah” (or “Christ”) and “Son of God.” We will be looking at how Mark presents Jesus to us to flesh these titles out, but always with the key question in mind, “Who do you say Jesus is?”

 

The Structure of The Gospel of Mark

3 Sections:

  • Act 1: Galilee — Ch. 1:1–8:26 — Who is Jesus?
  • Act 2: On the Way — Ch. 8:27—10:52 — How is Jesus the Messiah?
  • Act 3: Jerusalem — Ch. 11:1–16:20 — How Jesus became King

 

Act 1: Who is Jesus?

  • OT Backstory: Elijah figure prepares the way for the LORD, John the Baptist appears as the Elijah figure, Jesus appears in the place of the LORD.
  • Jesus’ Baptism
    • Mark 1:11 [ “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” ]
  • Various responses from everyone: Parable expresses Jesus knew

 

Act 2: How is Jesus the Messiah?

  • A Suffering Messiah: Mark 8:27-38, Mark 9:30-37, Mark 10:32-45
    • Mark 8:29 [ “You are the Christ.” ]
    • Mark 10:45 [ “For…the Son of Man came…to give his life as a ransom for many.” ]
  • Mark 9:1-13 — The Transfiguration
    • Mark 9:7 [ “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” ]

 

Act 3: How Jesus became King

  • Mark 11-13 — The Clash of Kingdoms
  • Mark 14 — The Last Supper and the Plot to Kill Jesus
  • Mark 15 — The Crucifixion
    • Mark 15:39 [ “Truly this man was the Son of God!” ]
  • Mark 16 — The Resurrection

 

Who is Jesus?

Mark 1:1 (ESV) The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

 

Jesus, the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of God, the Son of Man

 

Mark 8:27 (ESV) “Who do people say that I am?”

 

Who is Jesus? According to…

  • Mark 1:24 — Demons – “I know who you are—the Holy One of God”
  • Mark 2:7 — Pharisees – Blasphemer (“Who can forgive sins but God alone?”)
  • Mark 3:11-12 — Demons – “You are the Son of God…”
  • Mark 3:21 — Family – “Crazy”
  • Mark 3:22 — Pharisees – Demon-Possessed (“He’s possessed…”)
  • Mark 4:41 — Disciples – “Who is this?”
  • Mark 5:7 — Demons – “Jesus, Son of the Most High God…”
  • Mark 6:3-4 — Hometown – Fraud (“Is this not the carpenter’s son?”)
  • Mark 6:14-16 — King Herod – John Resurrected (“He is John back from the dead…”)

 

The Parable of the Sower and the Seed — Mark 4:1-20 (Various Responses)

  • Mark 4:1-9 — The Parable of the Sower and the Seed
  • Mark 4:10-13 — Parables’ Purpose — “the secret of the kingdom”
  • Mark 4:14-20 — The Parable Explained

 

Mark 4:11, 13 (ESV) And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, … Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?”

 

The Parable of the Sower and the Seed (Explanation — Mark 4:14-20)

  • The Hard Ground — no understanding
  • The Rocky Ground — no endurance
  • The Thorny Ground — no focus
  • The Good Ground — differing yields

 

Conclusion

Mark 8:29 (ESV) And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”…